Maxillary transverse deficiency is one of the most common dental problems. Although maxillary expansion is the treatment of choice for growing subjects, rapid palatal expansion (RPE) has limited orthopedic effects on skeletally mature subjects. Therefore, surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion (SARPE) has been the treatment of choice in subjects presenting skeletally mature sutures. Recently, the use of miniscrew assisted rapid palatal expansion (MARPE) has increased the maxillary expander design armamentarium, and successful maxillary expansion has been reached with these expanders on young adults. The purpose of the lecture is to discuss the current knowledge on maxillary expansion in skeletally mature patients using surgically and non-surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion approaches.
Learning Objectives:
After this session, attendees will be able to:
Recognize biologic background of suture maturation.
Recognize the best design and position of the maxillary expander devices.
Recognize the influence of the different surgical technique outcomes for SARPE, and the maxillary expansion pattern between SARPE and MARPE.
